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IMDbPro

The Men of Tohoku

Original title: Tôhoku no zunmu-tachi
  • 19571957
  • 59m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
23
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
648,916
322,021
Drama
The isolated village of Tohoku is surrounded by high mountains, and has a tradition that only the eldest sons may marry and inherit. The filthy, unshaven younger sons, called yakkos, work th... Read allThe isolated village of Tohoku is surrounded by high mountains, and has a tradition that only the eldest sons may marry and inherit. The filthy, unshaven younger sons, called yakkos, work the land and never have sex. To redress an ancestor's crime, the widow Oei has to take each ... Read allThe isolated village of Tohoku is surrounded by high mountains, and has a tradition that only the eldest sons may marry and inherit. The filthy, unshaven younger sons, called yakkos, work the land and never have sex. To redress an ancestor's crime, the widow Oei has to take each yakko for a night. However she refuses to take Risuke, who has particularly vile breath. S... Read all
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
23
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
648,916
322,021
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Kon Ichikawa
    • Writers
      • Shichirô Fukazawa(story)
      • Kon Ichikawa
    • Stars
      • Hiroshi Akutagawa
      • Minoru Chiaki
      • Kamatari Fujiwara
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Kon Ichikawa
    • Writers
      • Shichirô Fukazawa(story)
      • Kon Ichikawa
    • Stars
      • Hiroshi Akutagawa
      • Minoru Chiaki
      • Kamatari Fujiwara
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 2User reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • Photos

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    Top cast

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    Hiroshi Akutagawa
    • Risuke
    Minoru Chiaki
    Minoru Chiaki
    • Tasuke
    Kamatari Fujiwara
    Kamatari Fujiwara
    • Hisakichi
    Jun Hamamura
    Jun Hamamura
    Bokuzen Hidari
    Bokuzen Hidari
    Shôichi Hirose
    Shôichi Hirose
    Hajime Izu
    Takuzô Kumagai
    • Father of Twins
    • (as Jirô Kumagai)
    Akio Kusama
    • Father
    Eiko Miyoshi
    Eiko Miyoshi
    • Old woman
    Chieko Naniwa
    Chieko Naniwa
    • Oei
    Tadashi Okabe
    Sachio Sakai
    Makoto Satô
    Makoto Satô
    Ikio Sawamura
    Ikio Sawamura
    Shirô Tsuchiya
    Haruko Tôgô
    • Asa
    Minosuke Yamada
    • Director
      • Kon Ichikawa
    • Writers
      • Shichirô Fukazawa(story)
      • Kon Ichikawa
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    User reviews2

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Great Piece of Comedic Morality Play
    Very enjoyable piece of cinema, filmed in stark black and white.

    The story follows the lives a mountain-locked village, where only the eldest son of each family is allowed to shave, wear proper clothing, and most importantly marry and procreate. All other male children (called Yakkos) are resigned to a life of labour, working the fields, wearing rags, and abstaining from carnal desire. Daughters that cannot be married are sold off each year to a travelling merchant.

    The film follows the life of the most wretched of these yakkos, Risuke. He has been cursed with the worst case of halitosis known to man, and everyone blanches from him when he speaks, ordering him to face away. Much of his conversation with people is while he's not facing them.

    Tragedy befalls the husband of Triangle House as he is wracked with a painful sickness and dies, but not before explaining to his wife that his father was also stricken with the same illness, thus it must be a curse. He details how his father caught a yakko having relations with his wife and killed him. He claims that the sickness is the curse of the murdered yakko and he must be appeased before peace will ever come to his family. On his dying breath he asks his wife, Oei, to bed every yakko in the village, one at a time, for a single night after his death, and that will finally appease the curse.

    The wife obeys him, and every yakko's life improves, except Risuke. Oei avoids bedding him, feeling that not even the murdered yakko would expect her to engage that level of punishment upon herself. As far as she knows the curse has been lifted, a wonderful butterfly acting as her sign.

    But poor Risuke is plagued with feelings of doubt and self-esteem issues that begin to drive him mad. Finally an old woman tells him a secret, one that is kept from all yakko, lest they leave the village and put it to ruin: far over the mountains lies a village only of women, who are so desperate for men that they would accept even Risuke, so desperate are they that even the worst case of halitosis known to man would be no nevermind.

    Risuke decides to set off over the mountains, even though no yakko has ever been known to make it. His desire for love and companionship and acceptance is that strong. It is here that the film takes an interesting visual turn.

    Up until this point, the entire piece was either filmed outdoors on location or in quite realistic interior sets. But as Risuke sets off on his journey, the outdoor locations become a fantastical, far from realistic, set piece... painted highly stylised backdrops, fake snow upon fake rocks ... Ichikawa is suggesting strongly to us the fantastical nature of his trip, showing us that the story of a village of women is pure fantasy, but that Risuke's search and desire for acceptance is the more important journey. The journey is the reward, not the destination.

    A great film. Highly recommended.

    I was also surprised and pleased to see the old grandmother from Ozu's "Good Morning" show up here as the old woman that tells Risuke about the village of women.
    helpful•1
    0
    • Dog Breath
    • Nov 23, 2001

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 27, 1957 (Japan)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Language
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Ludzie z Tohoku
    • Production company
      • Toho Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      59 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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